PAD 4432 Administrative Leadership and Behavior Spring 2016

PAD 4432 Administrative Leadership and Behavior Spring 2016 Instructor: Alexander Kroll, Ph.D. E-Mail: akroll@fiu.edu Office Hours: Wednesday, 5:00 6:00 PM, PA Area on the 3 rd floor or by appointment Time: Wednesday, 6:25 9:05PM Location: FIU at I-75 423 Teaching Assistant: S. Lorenzo Benaine sbena004@fiu.edu Course Objectives This course is about leadership in public service organizations. It employs a narrow as well as a broad understanding of the term leadership. In the narrow sense, the class will be about leadership styles, motivating employees, and organizational incentive systems. In a broader sense, the class will be about managing public organizations, organizational culture, organizational behavior, human resource management, performance management, and strategic planning. This approach will emphasize the role of the political and administrative context, in which public managers operate. The course will provide an overview of concepts and theories, while offering ample opportunities for application through case studies and in-class exercises. The course s critical objectives are: Becoming aware of the impact of organizational features on the attitudes and behavior of individuals and teams within public organizations. Understanding the political and administrative context, in which public leaders and managers make decisions. Understanding leader-follower (manager-employee) interactions as well as the foundations of motivation and the role of different types of incentives. Being able to employ managerial heuristics and analytic tools that can help prepare decisions in public administration. Being able to transfer knowledge about leadership and management to specific decision contexts, analyze case studies, and prepare memos which discuss and assess decision options. Class Format and Communication Classes will begin with a lecture explaining theories, concepts, and analytic tools relevant to the weekly class topic. This will be followed by a practice component, in which you will 1

meet in groups, work on case studies or exercises, prepare a presentation of your results and discuss them in class. Most communication outside of class will happen through email and Blackboard. Please regularly check your FIU emails and sign on to Blackboard. When you send me an email related to this class, please always mention the class prefix PAD 4432: in the subject. Readings Hill, Carolyn and Laurence Lynn Jr. (2015). Public Management: Thinking and Acting in Three Dimensions. Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press. ISBN: 978-1-4833-4432-4. Readings are selected chapters from the Hill and Lynn (2015) book. Additional readings which are listed on the course schedule below will be provided through Blackboard (see additional Readings ). Completing the weekly reading assignments will be essential to do well in this course because it will help you comprehend each week s material that both the midterm and final draw on. In particular, it is important to read the assigned case studies before class begins. If you don t read them, you may be lost and not be able to participate in group work and discussions. I will also randomly ask students to summarize a case study, and not being able to do this will have a negative impact on your participation grade. Grading Weight Deliverables Due Date 20% Midterm exam March 2 d 10% Presentations PM Systems March 30 30% Comprehensive final exam April 22 30% 3 best memos (out of 4) Night before class 10% Participation --- Zero tardiness policy: There are only two types of papers that need to be submitted in this class: the handout for the PM presentations and four memos. Neither of these submissions will be accepted after their deadline (for further explanations, see below). All submissions will have to be done through Turnitin.com (see Blackboard, Student Submissions ). All submission should always be MS Word documents and have simply your last name as their title. The lowest unrounded scores for the following letter grades are: Exceeds expectations: A 93 A- 90 Meets expectations: B+ 88 B 83 B- 80 Below expectations: C+ 78 C 73 C- 70 Schedule an appointment to see me: D 60 F below 60 2

Deliverables The detailed assignments can be found on Blackboard, but here is a brief overview of the deliverables. Midterm and Comprehensive Final Exams The midterm and the final are both in-class, closed-book exams. They will consist of three parts: multiple choice, short answers, and mini case studies. The mini case studies require to transfer your theoretical knowledge to practical problems and decision contexts (similar to what we do every week in class). I will share some mock questions and go over the expectations for both exams in greater detail in class. Both exams will draw on the class readings, my lecture slides, and our discussions. The midterm covers weeks 1-7, while the comprehensive final covers the material from the entire class. Presentations Performance Management (PM) Systems In week 5, the lottery will bring together groups of about 3-4 students to work on this assignment. The idea is to identify a public organization or organizational sub-unit (department) all group members are somewhat familiar with and develop a PM system. Such a system should incorporate the following three components: a) a logic model which illustrates how the organization/department provides its main services, b) indicators to measure the performance of the organization at each stage of the logic model, and c) an implementation plan which specifies how data are being collected, analyzed, and utilized for decision-making. Although I have scheduled our class in week 9 for group work on this project, I expect groups to start working on this assignment much earlier and to also work outside of our class. All groups will present their PM systems on March 30 (week 12). They are supposed to create a one-page handout that contains all information required to understand the group s PM system. The handout needs to be submitted the night before the presentation by 11:59pm through Turnitin.com (see Blackboard, Student Submissions ). Each group should also bring hardcopies of their handout to class and distribute them among the audience. If a group member contributes significantly less than other members, then this student s grade will be lowered by one full grade level. If it turns out that someone has barely contributed anything to the group work, that person will get zero points for the assignment. If a group encounters free-rider problems and is not able to solve those internally, the group should get in touch with me earlier rather than later. 3

3 Best Memos (Out of 4) In this class we will work on seven case studies (see schedule below). Before we discuss a case in class, you are supposed to write and submit a one-page case memo. The memo should address the memo questions posted on Blackboard. There are no right or wrong answers, but you will have to make a good argument for the answer you think is the best one. Making an argument means to discuss the pros and cons of your proposal and present evidence (you can draw on external sources as long as you cite them properly). That is, a good memo is different from a case summary or simply stating your opinion. I will explain my expectations and more guidelines in week 1. You can submit a maximum of four case memos (pick from cases 2-7), and I will count your best three. Memos always need to be submitted the night before class (11:59pm) through Turnitin.com (see Blackboard, Student Submissions ). Late submissions cannot be considered. Participation Participation refers to your continuous qualitative and quantitative contributions to our inclass discussions, case studies, and group exercises. Attendance, Classroom, and Academic Conduct Attending class is important to understand the material and participate in class discussions. I understand that one or two unexpected work- or family-related emergencies may require an absence during the course of the semester. However, more than two unexcused absence will warrant an F. If students have a perfect attendance record (no missed classes), they will get 2% extra credit. This may not seem much but can, in fact, be enough to move you up to the next better grade. Please be on time, so that we can minimize interruptions once the class has begun. I do understand that traffic can be difficult but showing up late should be the exception. I will not accept patterns of tardiness and may count two late arrivals as one missed full class. Don t use cell phones or tablets during class! Please mute them and leave them in your bag or pocket. There may be situations when I ask you to use your cell phone for a quiz or to do online research, but these are exceptions I will let you know about. Please limit eating to before class or during break. Statement on Plagiarism Plagiarism is the representation of another person s words, ideas, and creative work in general as one s own. This misrepresentation is a breach of ethics that seriously compromises a person s reputation. Professional careers have been ruined by revelations of plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism, researchers and professionals in public, private, or 4

nonprofit organizations must scrupulously give credit whenever they use another person s idea, opinion, theory, written or spoken words, as well as any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings- any pieces of information- that are not common knowledge. The following rules should be observed to make sure that the distinction between one s own words, ideas or work, and those of others us justly maintained. 1. Put in quotations everything that comes directly from the text of another s work, especially when taking notes. 2. Alternatively, you can paraphrase another person s work, but be sure you are not just rearranging or replacing a few words. A good strategy is to (1) read over what you want to paraphrase carefully, (2) cover up the text with your hand, (3) write out the idea in your own words without peaking, and (4) check your paraphrase against the original text to be sure you have not accidentally used the same phrases or words, and that the information is accurate. 3. Whether you quote, paraphrase or otherwise borrow another s work, always cite or indicate the source of the information, and provide references following one of the many accepted styles or formats. 4. Common knowledge such as George Washington s date of birth or meaning of OLS regression need not be quoted, cited, or referenced. However, borrowing another s original or creative presentation of common knowledge should follow the above mentioned rules. When in doubt, follow the rules. Of course, submitting a paper that is completely the work of another person is plagiarism in its most extreme form. A student who plagiarizes all or part of an assignment can expect severe cumulative penalties, ranging from failure in the course to expulsion from the university, with an annotation of the sanction received on the student s transcript. It should be kept in mind that, although it is not as egregious an offense as copying someone else s work, the extensive copying of a paper that one has prepared for one course for subsequent use and submission in another course is totally inappropriate. Especially at the graduate level, students may wish to prepare more than one paper in the same area. However, these must be substantially different papers which, while they may be in the same general area, represent a substantively different focus and do not significantly overlap in written text. Incompletes and Make-Up Exams In the absence of a dire, documented emergency, I am opposed to the granting of incomplete grades. This is consistent with University policy. Make every effort to complete the course in a timely manner. Please note that enrolling in this class means you agree with the syllabus and are able to take exams and provide papers and presentations at the listed dates. Exceptions will be very rare and only allowed in the case of a documented illness or emergency. 5

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to create diverse learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and sustainable. The DRC provides FIU students with disabilities the necessary support to successfully complete their education and participate in activities available to all students. If you have a diagnosed disability and plan to utilize academic accommodations, please contact the Center at 305-348-3532 or visit them at the Graham Center GC 190. Course Schedule Week Topic & Reading #1 Jan 13 Introduction Read Syllabus; Intro to topic and policies Training on case analysis and memo writing #2 Jan 20 Public Management and Accountability Hill and Lynn (2015), Ch. 1 & 2 In class: Case 1, Could the system have saved the children of Banita Jacks? (pp. 29ff.) #3 Jan 27 Managing within the Administrative State Hill and Lynn (2015), Ch. 5 & 6 In class: Case 2, Managing the rollout of Healthcare.gov (pp. 217ff.) #4 Feb 3 Organizational Culture Hill and Lynn (2015), Ch. 8 & 9 In class: Case 3, Corrosive culture in the Veterans Health Administration (pp. 323ff.) #5 Feb 10 Focus on Results: Performance Management Hatry, Harry. (2006). Performance Measurement: Getting results. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute Press, Ch. 1 & 2. Listen to Harvard s Bob Behn on The PerformanceStat Potential: http://www.businessofgovernment.org/interview/conversations-authorsseries-prof-bob-behn-performancestat-potential Listen at least to the parts PerformanceStat Overview and Four Conditions that Make Change Possible in Organizations or click on Complete Interview. In class: Building performance management systems exercise 6

#6 Feb 17 Motivating Employees Watch Ed Deci s TED talk on motivation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgrcets0e6i Perry, James, Trent Engbers, and So Yun Jun. (2009). Back to the Future? Performance-Related Pay, Empirical Research, and the Perils of Persistence. Public Administration Review 69(1): 39-51. In class: Case 4, Pay in public organizations (pp. 294ff.) #7 Feb 24 Managerial Styles Hill and Lynn (2015), Ch. 10 In class: Case 5, Kate Maehr and the greater Chicago food depository (pp. 358ff.) #8 Mar 2 Midterm Exam #9 Mar 9 No class: Meet in Groups to Prepare PM Systems Presentation #10 Mar 16 Spring Break #11 Mar 23 Leadership Van Wart, Montgomery. (2013). Lessons from Leadership Theory and the Contemporary Challenges of Leaders. Public Administration Review 73(4): 553-565. Watch Daniel Goleman on what it takes to be a great leader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcjexqzsrey In class: Leadership exercise #12 Mar 30 Presentations PM Systems #13 Apr 6 Managerial Heuristics Hill and Lynn (2015), Ch. 11 In class: Case 6, Paul Vallas: CEO, Superintendent (pp. 403ff.) #14 Apr 13 Strategy and Strategic Planning Bryson, John. (1988). A Strategic Planning Process for Public and Nonprofit Organizations. Long Range Planning 21(1): 73-81. Watch this video on Mintzberg s views on strategy and managing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nrwtd_siu8 In class: SWOT and stakeholder analysis exercise #15 Apr 20 Managing in Three Dimensions Hill and Lynn (2015), Ch. 12 In class: Case 7, The space shuttle Columbia accident (pp. 448ff.) #16 Apr 27 Comprehensive Final Exam 7